The issue of environmental sustainability has taken on global significance due to concerns about climate change and energy security. BCA is one of the key agencies involved in developing Singapore into a green and sustainable city. One such effort is BCA’s partnership with industry players such as the Autodesk Asia Pte Ltd and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).



Dr John Keung, BCA CEO and Mr Gordon Holness, President ASHRAE, signing a Memorandum of Understanding

The signing was witnessed by Mr Benedict Tan, Managing Director, BCA
Academy and Mr David Lau, President ASHRAE (Singapore Chapter).




The MOU aims to foster greater cooperation in the areas of Sustainable
Development and Building Energy Efficiency research and education.

It will facilitate joint research projects in sustainable design with a focus on the tropics.

BCA and ASHRAE will also jointly conduct regional Energy and sustainable conferences and seminars in Singapore and explore certifiable professional training courses for local and regional HVAC professionals.

In this Third Lecture Series, Mr Tony Arnel, the current Chairperson of the
World Green Building Council, delivered his keynote address “Green
Building in Asia-Pacific – Sustainable Growth and Managing Change”.



Mr Arnel said the next challenge is the ‘greening’ of existing stock of buildings


Mr Jeffrey Boyer, Head of Clean Technologies for Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, gave a presentation titled “Design for a Post Carbon Urban Age”.



Mr Boyer suggested that accepted models and approaches to urban development must be consistently challenged


Mr Michael Arny, President of Leonardo Academy, shared his experience in implementing LEED certification for existing buildings. He is also popularly known as the Father of LEED for Existing Buildings (EB).




According to Mr Arny, addressing LEED-EB when designing a new building makes it easier to operate the building sustainably


Conclusion
The Green Building Lecture Series serves as a very useful springboard for practitioners to generate fresh and innovative ideas in sustainable design and development through sharing of insights and learning points from exemplary projects and solutions.

More importantly, the Lecture Series has generated a strong following among industry leaders. Industry practitioners view this as a platform where they can exchange their views and have dialogues on greening the built environment. This is usually carried out at a panel discussion chaired by Mr Cheong Yew Kee, President of Green Practice Committee, Singapore Institute of Architects, towards the end of the sessions.